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User blog:SetRobOff/All Four One, One Four All: Chapter Thirteen
Chapter twelve, if you missed it. http://degrassi.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:SetRobOff/All_Four_One,_One_Four_All:_Chapter_Twelve Chapter Thirteen Maya, Zoe, Frankie and Shay were promptly handcuffed and ordered to stand still, face the wall and keep quiet. Obeying police orders, the girls made no other sound besides their grief-stricken sobbing. As the coroner arrived to bag Janelle's body, detectives appeared on the scene to take photos of the crime scene and collect evidence. Blood samples were taken from the clothing of Maya, Frankie and Shay in preparation for testing in a lab. After that, all four girls were driven to the police station in their now torn and tattered prom gowns while Janelle's body was being taken away in another vehicle to the city morgue. At the station, the first thing the police did was seperate each girl into individual offices and allow them to call their parents. With a sense of urgency, Mr. and Mrs. Matlin, Ms. Rivas, Mrs. Powers and Mrs. Hollingsworth arrived at the police station, alarmed and extremely worried about the well-being of their daughters. Mr. Hollingsworth was away for a brief business trip, so only Frankie's mother was able to come. Miles and Winston, whom had gone back to the Hollingsworth house after the hotel, tagged along but they had to sit on a bench while the parents were let into the offices to be with their daughters. With their concerned parents by their sides, each girl gave their statements to the police, where they gave every detail of tonight's horror story, only leaving out the hotel incident. With no time to discuss it first amongst each other, each girl naturally knew to leave out that detail. Under no circumstance did they want the authorities or their parents to know that the time after the prom and before the homicide, they took a brief detour to engage in sexual intercourse at a hotel with their respective boyfriends. After hours of questioning, the parents were allowed to take their girls home. By the time the respective families met up outside of the building, it was bright, warm and sunny outside; a sharp contrast to grief and terror that the four teenaged girls were filled with. Emotion overcame everyone; Frankie was the first to break down as she threw herself into Winston's arms, where he held her tightly. Maya did the same with Miles, who held her close and tenderly stroked the back of her hair as she trembled and cried a river onto his chest. MAYA:(devastated) I didn't mean to do it, Miles. Oh God, what have I done? Miles consoled his sorrowful girlfriend; the harder she cried, the closer he held her. MILES:(gently) I know. Baby, it wasn't your fault. It's going to be okay. You're going to be fine. I love you. As Maya continued to cry, Miles motioned for his equally distressed sister and her loving boyfriend to come to them. In one big group hug, Miles and Winston embraced Maya, Frankie and each other firmly. WINSTON: Miles and I are here, girls. It's okay. A few feet away, Zoe and Shay's mothers held them as they cried as well. Zig and Tiny were incognizant of the tragedy but once they learned about it from their girlfriends later, their support and comfort came swiftly and in abundance. Over the next several days following the dreadful incident, Maya couldn't shake the gruesome images out of her head. The fact that she was defending herself against Janelle and her death was an accident, Maya found it nearly impossible to live with the fact that she took the life of another human being. Her parents continued to be there for her; heartbroken and sympathetic to the emotional and psychological suffering that their daughter was going through. Crippled with grief, Maya left her house and bedroom as little as possible. Still, she remained in constant contact via text with her three other friends, all of whom were also still as devastated as she was. Whether it was to check in with one another or to agree to keep consistent with their story, to protect themselves from their parents finding out about them losing their virginities prior to the incident. In Maya and Frankie's cases, especially, the fear of their fathers' reactions petrified them. Frankie had the most to fear of all; there was no telling what Mr. Hollingsworth would say or do to both her and ''Miles. It tore Miles up inside that Maya has basically imprisoned herself inside of her bedroom. He certainly understood why she did but there was nothing in the world that he wanted more than to physically be there with her, hold her, soothe her and cry with her. So, for the time being, all he could do was call and text her to express his love, devotion and support, which Maya appreciated with every inch of her soul. It took authorities four days to finally track down Amy Peters-Hoffman and apprehend her on account of being named by Maya, Frankie, Zoe and Shay as the ringleader and initiator of the fatal brawl on prom night. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to release Amy due to a lack of evidence and her refusal to offer the police any information on the other two suspects, Carmen and Laura, who have yet to be found. So momentarily, they had little to go on with the case where Amy's gang was concerned. Exactly a week after prom night, a graduation ceremony was being held in the auditorium of Degrassi Community School for the senior class. Each student received their diplomas, sat through a powerful valedictorian speech and received their diplomas as Principal Simpson called them all by alphabetical order of their last names. Proud families cried, cheered and applauded as each student claimed their hard-earned diplomas. Caught up in a sense of joy and victory, Maya and her friends were temporarily able to put last week's tragedy of their minds as they hugged each other, their families, their other classmates and their favorite teachers and faculty members. After the ceremony, Mr. Hollingsworth offered to treat his three newly high school graduate children and their closest friends and signifcant others as well as ''their ''parents to dinner later that night to celebrate; but it became clear that fate had other plans for them as two police officers, accompanied by the same two detectives that arrived at last week's crime scene, approached the happy group. Smiles faded instantly upon seeing these authority figures bearing handcuffs. Naturally, all of the protective parents as well as Winston and Miles formed a wall in front of the four girls that the police were obviously seeking. Maya's father was the first to speak up. MR. MATLIN:(shaking his head) No. Absolutely not. My daughter did ''nothing ''wrong. She's given you her statement already! DETECTIVE KULP: Sir, please step aside. We have a warrant issued for the arrest of Maya Matlin, Francesca Hollingsworth, Shaylynn Powers and Zoe Rivas for the murder of Janelle Penn. MRS. MATLIN:(near tears) Oh no, please don't. My daughter didn't do anything! None of them did. Sir, please, you cannot---" The insensitive detective lightly shoved Mrs. Matlin aside and threatened to arrest her for obstructing justice if she didn't stay out of the way. MR. MATLIN:(enraged) Hey, goddamnit; don't you push my wife! The crowd of graduates, families and Degrassi faculty members watched as the parents banded together as the officers MS. RIVAS: Fuck off! Don't you dare come near my daughter! MRS. POWERS: And ya'll better get away from my motherfucking daughter too! You wait until their fucking graduation to come here on some BULLSHIT? Hell no. Uh-uh. (Shakes her head) Don't even think about touching my goddamn child. Fuck around if you want to. A loud applause erupted from the audience as Shay and Zoe's exceptionally fiesty mothers stood their ground. Though not as vocal as any of the parents, Miles, Hunter and Winston were boiling inside; ready to explode. Just as Detective Kulp was beginning to get furious, his much calmer partner, Detective Poole, stepped up to make peace. DETECTIVE POOLE: Listen, I'm sorry but we have to do our job. I'm a parent too; so I know how you feel. If these young ladies are as innocent as you say then this matter will be sorted out and over with sooner than you think. The parents continued to complain though not as loudly and vulgarly as they did with the first detective. Detective Poole approached Maya's parents and spoke to them gently. DETECTIVE POOLE: Sir, ma'am...if it would bring you any comfort, I'll make sure that all of the girls are taken care of before their arraignment. (Addresses the other parents) For now, just get these girls an attorney and arrange bail. It shouldn't be very long at all. Having succeeded in calming the distraught parents, the detectives allowed the girls to hug their parents, Miles, Winston and Hunter, all of whom told them to be strong and that they'll be out of there soon. One parent in particular, however, was suddenly very quiet and distant. Mr. Hollingsworth haven't spoken a single word the whole time; he stood there hanging his head with shame. All four girls were in tears from a mixture of grief, dismay, confusion, fear and public embarassment as they were placed in handcuffs for the second time and escorted to the police vehicles to be taken away to the precinct where they had to take mugshots and be fingerprinted. Later in the evening, at Zig and Tiny's place, both boys were fuming and pacing back and forth through their apartment. They were highly upset when Shay and Zoe first told them about the incident last week and they were even more furious when they received a text from Miles earlier that day, informing them of the girls' arrest. ZIG: FUCK THIS SHIT! Tiny, I swear to God when I see Amy and those other two bitches, they're DEAD. I'm going to blast them in the fucking face! Both boys were filled up with so much rage that they gripped their guns the entire time as they stomped around and paced the apartment. TINY: Oh, believe me. I wouldn't blink twice when I bust a cap in their motherfuckin' asses. Dirty bitches. (Bites down on and growls) UGGGHHHH!! ZIG: They can hide out all they want. We'll find those bitches, for sure..... No longer able to control his rage, Zig hauled off and punched the expensive, framed mirror hanging over their living room sofa. It instantly left cracks and caused his knuckles to bleed but he didn't care one bit. ZIG: THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THEIR FUCKING WITH! Zig and Tiny fumed in silence for another few seconds before Tiny spoke up again. TINY:(eyeing his and Zig's pistols) Like we always say, Zig...our two K's don't come from Game Stop.... ZIG:(finishes the sentence) And it won't be the motherfuckin' ''backboard that we're clappin'. TINY: That's right, nigga. They fucked with the wrong ones, yo... Tiny let out a long, deep sigh and then plopped down on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling as if he was deep in thought. Zig noticed and took a seat beside him. ZIG:(sensing something was on Tiny's mind) What's up? TINY: Shit, I just remembered. We can't forget what Shay and Zoe told us though. ZIG:(nods and sighs) Oh, that's right. Fuck... When Shay and Zoe informed their boyfriends a week about the incident via cell phone, they practically had to beg ''Tiny and Zig not to kill Amy, Carmen or Laura if by chance they spotted them out and about. For two reasons: firstly, another murder of someone directly linked to Janelle's death wouldn't look good for their case at all and secondly, they loved their boyfriends too much to see them risk their freedom over such worthless people. Technically, Zig and Tiny risked their freedom on a daily basis simply due to the nature of their profession but murder was a much bigger story. Little did Zoe or Shay know, however, Zig and Tiny ''have killed before. It was nothing that either boy was proud of but their ruthlessly iron-fisted leader Nite-Lite has ordered them to take out two different drug dealers in the Toronto area that have been attempting to sell their product on their gang's turf. It didn't make Zig and Tiny feel good or "powerful" to end those men's lives; it was simply a business move that they were literally forced to make by their boss; someone they both feared more than anything else in the world. However, the thought of killing the three people who caused their girlfriends a great deal of pain would be a personal matter. Still, they had to use logic and they respected their girlfriends enough to do whatever they say. Tiny and Zig appreciated that Shay and Zoe loved them too much to see them put themselves at risk for them but....''did Shay and Zoe fully understand just how much Tiny and Zig loved ''them ''and what lengths they'd go for them? TINY: I just wish we could have seen them before they got arrested. Shit. ZIG: I know. I get why they didn't want to leave their houses. They were sad. They were traumatized. And probably fucking ''scared. ''But a whole week away from my girl was hell. I needed to ''see ''Zoe and feel her next to me. TINY: Miles and Winston feel our pain too. ZIG: Yeah but they at least got to be there for their girls the ''first ''time Po-Po took them in. TINY: Now, I'm just wonderin' what the fuck we gonna do now though? When the fuck are they gonna set bail? If their moms don't got it, you know ''we do ''and we will. Zig nodded in agreement as he tapped his fingers on his pistol, trying to calm his nerves. TINY: I need Shay in my life, man. That's my ''emporess. ''My motherfuckin' ''universe. ZIG: Yeah. And to think it could have been worst than them just getting arrested, man. Those bitches could have---I don't even wanna say it. (Shaking his head and staring at his lap) I fucking love ''Zoe. I need that girl. I would die or ''kill ''for her. I never felt this way about anybody. TINY: Word.......(Ponders Zig last sentence for a few seconds) Not even Marla? Zig looked up at Tiny and stared directly into his eyes with all seriousness. ZIG:(quietly but firmly) Not even Marla. Now, I know how Cameron felt... Well into the next morning, Maya, Zoe, Shay and Frankie have been sitting in a rusty, dimly lit jail cell for over sixteen hours. They were anxious, afraid, hungry and exhausted but they couldn't sleep at all. All they could do was talk, cry and wait around to see what would happen next. The only positive thing about their current predicament was that Detective Poole made good on his promise to their parents to arrange for the four of them to share a cell away from the other intimidating incarcerated women in the jail who would have surely tried to prey on their weaknesses. After what seemed like forever, they heard a voice call out "Francesca Hollingsworth, Maya Matlin, Shaylynn Powers and Zoe Rivas?" Eager and relieved, the girls jumped to their feet and yelled back "Here!" The heavyset African-Canadian officer unlocked their cell and simply told them to follow him. They had a bunch of questions to ask but the robotic, seemingly unfeeling officer refused to answer them; he simply told them to save it for the judge that they will be seeing soon. He walked them through a series of hallways and ordered them into another holding cell, where they sat for over twenty minutes until their individual family attorneys arrived. Before parting ways with their respective lawyers to speak privately, the four lawyers spoke with all of them at once to prepare a consistent story for the girls' bail hearing. At last, the girls finally found themselves standing nervously in the courtroom next to their lawyers with their parents sitting in the background, equally concerned. JUDGE: Ms. Matlin, Ms. Powers, Ms. Rivas and Ms. Hollingsworth, you all have been charged with murder in the second degree. Gasps of shock and woe escaped the girls' throats as their loved ones cried and vocalized their dismay in the background. Banging his gavel, the judged called for order in the court and the bailiff demanded everyone to be quiet. Once the courtroom returned to the judge's desired silence, he continued. JUDGE:(Addressing the attorneys) How does each defendant plea? Each girl's lawyer spoke on their behalf and replied "not guilty". From there, the judge began to discuss bail opinions. Due to the severity of the crime, Maya and her friends were alarmed to hear the large sum of money that the prosecution suggested for their bail. However, their lawyers spoke up on their behalf by stating the fact that all four girls are high-school graduates with clean records and have been accepted into prestigious universities. Unlike Amy and Carmen, the other girls didn't even attempt to flee the crime scene and were very cooperative with authorities, which could speak volumes concerning their innocence. They successfully talked the judge down to a much lower bail than prosecution requested. So, once a portion of the bail was posted, the girls were set free for the time being. Their problems were far from over though, there was still the inevitability of a trial some time in the future. Having pleaded not guilty and refused any plea bargains because they knew in their hearts that the unfortunate tragedy was not their fault, they were willing to fight for justice. Still, the girls feared for their futures and had no idea what to expect. Though they were free to roam the streets, they were court-ordered not to leave the province of Ontario until after the trial.....whenever that would be and most importantly, ''if ''they were to win their case. Later that evening, at the Hollingsworth residence, Frankie was lying beside Winston on her bed. He was holding her hand with one hand and affectionately rubbing it with the other. The bedroom door was open to ease any worries Frankie's parents may have had about her engaging in any sexual activity with Winston. Besides, Miles was also in there, sitting at the edge of Frankie's bed, feeling gloomy. The three of them stared at the television though each of them had far too much on their mind to pay attention....that is, until the news came on. Frankie pulled her phone out right away and sent a text to Maya, Zoe and Shay: '''Girls. We're on the news...again.' The silver-haired, female reporter stood in front of the same abandoned house that the tragedy took place on. "It's been well over a week ago but the entire community is still in shock after the tragic murder of a young woman that took place in this shabby, unoccuppied residence. The decedent, twenty-one year old Janelle Penn, and her best friend, Amy Peters-Hoffman, were taken hostage into this abandoned dwelling by four young CRIMINALS, all females: two white, one black and one Hispanic. Hoffman and Penn, were allegedly beaten and robbed at knife-point...." MILES, WINSTON and FRANKIE:(in unison and disbelief) WHAT THE FUCK?! "A simple mugging took a turn for the worst when the latter was killed with a single, stab wound to the jugular. Janelle Penn was pronounced dead at the scene." A photograph of Janelle was displayed on the screen. In the picture, she was smiling brightly with an unusually innocent look in her big, round eyes with long, neatly done box braids hanging over her shoulders. It was a much different image from the mean, menacing neighborhood hooligan that has tormented Frankie and all of her friends numerous times prior to that fateful night. "Her father, mayoral candidate Maurice Penn is devastated at the loss of his only daughter; and to further complicate things, one of his rivals for the upcoming mayoral election is the father of one of the young suspects responsible for Janelle Penn's murder." FRANKIE:(in tears) Are you fucking kidding me.....? Frankie, Winston and Miles were once again shocked; for that was a plot twist that absolutely no one saw coming. Even though the reporter didn't mention Frankie and her father by name, it was more than obvious to everyone that they were referring to them. Frankie wanted to disappear and die at that very moment as she covered her face with shame and grief. MILES: What the hell?! WINSTON: Frankie, did you you know this? MILES:(irritated) What the fuck, Chewey?! Nobody did! ''That's irrelevant anyway. What kind of question is that?! Winston didn't mean it that way. Embarassment and pain instantly overcame him at the thought of him making the girl he loved feel worse than she already did. Still with her face buried into her hands, Frankie began to sob. WINSTON:(genuinely upset) Babe, I'm so sorry. It doesn't matter if you knew or not. I know you didn't do anything. I'm so stupid. You know I'm bad with my words sometimes, I just...I didn't mean it that way. I... FRANKIE:(crying) I can't do this! Without warning, Frankie jumped up from off of the bed and dashed out of her bedroom. Winston desperately tried to go after her. WINSTON: Frankie! Frankie! Miles stopped Winston and told him to just let her go. With an arm around him, Miles led Winston to his bedroom where they talked in private. Frankie locked herself in the bathroom to cry in solitude. It pained Winston to see Frankie so upset and tearfully apologized over and over again. WINSTON:(crying) I'm sorry. Why is this happening to her? To all of them. It's just not fair... Miles assurred his best friend that Frankie knew that he meant no harm but secretly, he felt like a hypocrite; Miles just as desperately wanted to hold Maya just as much as Winston yearned to hold Frankie. Meanwhile at the Pacini residence, Lola had Shay and Zoe, as well as her girlfriend, Grace, over for company. The four of them together \were also watching the news, disgusted by the blatant lies being told. The camera switched scenes and focused on a tall, bald black man in a fancy business suit. Although the man shed no tears, he made his hurt and grief obvious for all viewers to see. ''"As a father who just buried his daughter, I am deeply saddened and equally furious at the heartless troublemakers who claimed the life of my beloved Janelle. But as a candidate for mayor, I am inspired even more to put more pressure on the police department to do a better job at preventing these kinds of heinous crimes on the Toronto streets, should I win. My daughter will receive her much-deserved justice as well as any parent who has lost a son or daughter under similar horrific circumstances. My heart goes out to all of you who can relate and I kindly thank you for the overwhelming sympathy and condolences given to me after my loss. Thank you and God bless you." Repulsed, Grace muted the television. Lola shook her head, sadly. Zoe and Shay looked at each other and then down at their laps, on the verge of crying again at any moment. GRACE: He's full of shit. LOLA: That guy that was speaking? Grace gave her a look as if to say "Duh". LOLA:(nods) You're right, babe. He is. GRACE: A guy who disowned his daughter and kicked her out of a wealthy, Christian home into the streets with the rest of the losers because she's a lesbian, is on television boo-hoo-ing for the cameras when he so happens to be running for mayor? That's bullshit if I ever fucking smelled it. SHAY: Janelle was a lesbian? GRACE: Yup, she even tried to hit on Lola once a long time ago. Babe, you remember that? LOLA: Oh that ''was her? ZOE: Oh shit. GRACE: Oh yeah. I was going to punch her in the face that day. (Shakes her head) Anyways, you know how I can do my homework on bitches like no other. Janelle actually used to date my ''ex-girlfriend's ex-girlfriend's current girlfriend....''small world, I know. From what I heard, Janelle's parents threw her out when she came out and now her piece of shit dad is on TV putting on the fakest performance I've ever seen in my life. (Rolls eyes) Whatever. I know you girls didn't do anything wrong. ZOE: I know Frankie like the back of my hand, I bet she's mortified right now. (With tears in her eyes) Poor girl. Mr. Hollingsworth is no better than this scumbag. SHAY:(tears running down her cheeks) Right?! I even saw that sour ass look on his face when we got arrested yesterday at graduation. I bet he's making this whole fucking thing about his campaign right now too. I swear if he blames Frankie for jeapardizing his campaign, I....ugh. I can't. And Maya's not answering her phone, so I know she's devastated too. ZOE:(sobbing) I can't deal... For what must have been the hundreth time since the night of the homicide, Shay and Zoe broke down and cried. Lola and Grace did their best to console them. They were more than grateful for their friends' compassion but there was a certain touch and special tenderness that they needed more than anything. ZOE:(whispers to Shay) I need to see my man. SHAY: So do I. Back at Zig and Tiny's place, they were feeling better knowing that their girlfriends were released on bail but they still yearned to see them. Their prayers were answered when Shay and Zoe showed up to their place that night. The girls made a bold move by asking Lola to cover for them while they went to spend the night with their boyfriends. Neither Shay or Zoe wanted their mothers to know that were spending a night alone with their boyfriends, for the same reason they told no one about the hotel. Needless to say, Zig and Tiny were happy and emotional at their girlfriends' unexpected arrival. They led Zoe and Shay away to their bedrooms where the girls cried their sorrows and fears away in their arms. This led to each couple making love for what would be their second time. Everyone grieved differently and had different needs to suit said grievances and pain. Shay and Zoe needed to be held and made love to by Tiny and Zig, respectively, the whole night through and assurred that they were going to be protected and that everything was going to be alright. Frankie on the other hand, needed to be alone. Winston still meant the world to her but she needed space and sleep to clear her head. Winston gave her that respect and tossed and turned in Miles's bed, worrying endlessly about her. Miles himself, however, wasn't even in his own room. Instead, he sat alone outside at the pool area in the dark night. Just like everyone else, there was only the love of his life on his mind. Maya was at home and too depressed to return any of her friends' calls; she even didn't answer some of Miles's. But thankfully, this time she picked up for him. MILES: Baby.... That was all that Miles could say at the moment. He was just happy to hear her voice, even if it was only yesterday that he saw her. Maya spoke to him a low tone. MAYA: Hey, I'm so sorry if I scared you. MILES: Don't apologize. I understand.. MAYA: Miles, I just feel weak. I can't move. I can't eat. I can't even sleep even though I haven't even got out of bed since I got home. I can't talk but....you're important to me and I can't keep you worried. I know you are. There was so much pain and agony in Maya's voice that emphasized her despondency and heavy heart. Miles has never seen his angel, whose smile usually lit up a whole room as well as ''his ''whole life, so down. It brought an unbearable aching to his heart. MILES:(in tears) Yeah, it's killing me. Once Miles said that, Maya momentarily disregarded her own severe grief and suddenly began to hurt for Miles. It was in Maya's selfless nature, safe to say even to a ''fault, ''to blame herself for causing someone else pain even when she was the victim in the situation. It was exactly why she was so hard on herself for even accidentally causing the death of her own attacker. MAYA: Miles.... She didn't need to add another word. It was simply the way Maya ''said his name that made Miles instantly aware of what was on her mind. He knew exactly what was she was thinking. His heart knew her mind and their souls spoke to each other in only a way that true lovers could do. MILES: Maya, I'm fine, I promise. I'm fine because I'm hearing your ''voice right now. I want to be there with you, physically. But I don't want you to agree to let me come over just to make me happy. I respect that you need to be alone. Just don't keep starving, that's all I ask. MAYA: You can come see me tomorrow. I promise. And I really mean that. You don't want to see me in pain and I don't want to see you in pain. MILES: But you have more to be in pain about. I wish I was there to stop all of that from happening. Leaving in different taxis that night was a mistake and it's all my fault--" MAYA:(stops him right there) Miles, no it isn't. MILES: You've been through so much last week on what was supposed to be a special night for ''us. ''So, I know why you're so inconsolable right now....and I don't want to be selfish. MAYA: Never. Baby, you're just like me. You always put me first just like I do for you. (sobs a little) And that's why I love you. You always understand. MILES: Baby, I love you too. (Closes his eyes and whispers emotionally) I love you so much. Upon hanging up with her, Miles actually kissed the phone and clutched it to his heart as his tears poured. Miles and Maya's hearts and heads remained in the same place no matter what the circumstances were. Whenever one of them felt like an absolute disgrace or failure in their own minds, they wouldn't dare allow ''the other ''to say any such thing about themselves. It was a selfless love and it was being to a test. So far, in the aftermath of a tragedy, they've been ''passing that test. The same could be said for the other couples. Category:Blog posts